I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to article carriers for vehicles and, in particular, to a luggage carrier for a vehicle which incorporates a frame adjustable between an elevated position for retaining luggage and a stored position substantially flush with the vehicle surface.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Carriers have been used on vehicles to facilitate the transport of loads which cannot or are desired not to be transported within the vehicle. Generally, past known article carriers include a load-bearing surface formed by a supported rack or a series of slats mounted to the vehicle and a peripheral frame to retain the load on the load-bearing surface and facilitate tie-down of the load. The load retaining frame may merely consist of a pair of cross rails or a rectangular frame with cross rails and side rails. Normally, the frame is supported in spaced apart relation to the vehicle surface by stanchions mounted to the vehicle. Accordingly, the frame is positioned above the vehicle surface even when the carrier is not being used creating unnecessary drag and detracting from the appearance of the vehicle.
In an attempt to improve the aerodynamics and aesthetics of the unused article carrier, removable and slidably adjustable frame members were incorporated into carriers. The cross rails or the entire frame may include means for detaching the carrier from the vehicle. Such assemblies are generally stored separate from the vehicle, such as in a garage, and therefore may be unavailable for an unanticipated use. The slidingly adjustable carriers employ a side track along which the support stanchion will travel to accommodate different load configurations or for storage of the rails. This type of adjustable frame usually includes a pair of cross rails which can be nested together at the rear of the vehicle to form a spoiler. However, because the cross rails must be allowed to come together, the frame will not include side rails which may result in lateral shifting of the load.